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@washunbound.bsky.social
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washunbound.bsky.social @washunbound.bsky.social · Jun 2
Welcome to Washington Unbound! We are a new online journal founded by a local fiction writer and a local poet, covering all things literary in the Washington, DC, area. Reviews, interviews, an events calendar, and much more.
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Today, Washington Unbound is very excited to present Naomi Thiers’ excellent review of Karen Outen’s novel Dixon Descending.

www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Book review of D.C. area author Karen Outen's novel 'Dixon Descending' — Washington Unbound
'Dixon Descending,' D.C. area author Karen Outen's debut novel, explores the the journey of two brothers as they try to survive climbing Mt. Everest, along with the reality of being Black in America.
www.washington-unbound.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:38 PM
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The literary criticism coming out of DC lately is spectacular (as is the publishing scene it focuses on). Add @washunbound.bsky.social to your regular reading list! Today, Katy Gathright on @margarethutton.bsky.social’s debut novel, If You Leave: www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Review of D.C. area author Margaret Hutton's novel, 'If You Leave' — Washington Unbound
Read our review of D.C. area author Margaret Hutton's debut novel, 'If You Leave.' This work of historical fiction focuses on an unlikely friendship between two women during World War II.
www.washington-unbound.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:10 PM
washunbound.bsky.social
Washington Unbound is happy to present a review of new fiction, If You Leave by Margaret Hutton.
www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Review of D.C. area author Margaret Hutton's novel, 'If You Leave' — Washington Unbound
Read our review of D.C. area author Margaret Hutton's debut novel, 'If You Leave.' This work of historical fiction focuses on an unlikely friendship between two women during World War II.
www.washington-unbound.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
washunbound.bsky.social
Today, Washington Unbound is especially excited to present an interview with Holly Morgan Mason Badra about her excellent new anthology of Kurdish Women Writers.

www.washington-unbound.com/interviews/m...
“Mountains bloom and tides change in our teacups” — Washington Unbound
It is unlikely that you will find a more compelling collection of writers anytime soon. In addition to its great literary value, Sleeping in the Courtyard provides an eye-opening introduction to a c...
www.washington-unbound.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:54 PM
washunbound.bsky.social
Today, Washington Unbound is very excited to present an interview with D.C. literary star Kris King about her dazzling new collection of stories.

www.washington-unbound.com/interviews/k...
Interview with D.C.-area fiction writer Kristen Zory King, author of 'Ladies, Ladies, Ladies' — Washington Unbound
Washington Unbound interviews the author of 'Ladies, Ladies, Ladies.' Kristen Zory King is a Washington D.C.-based fiction writer, yoga instructor, creative consultant, and the founder of MoonLit, an ...
www.washington-unbound.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:28 PM
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Today Washington Unbound is very happy to present our review of Lauren Woods' debut short story collection. @ladiwoods.bsky.social @norahvawter.bsky.social

www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Book review of Lauren D. Woods’ short story collection, The Great Grown-up Game of Make Believe — Washington Unbound
The stories in Lauren D. Woods' debut collection, The Great Grown-up Game of Make Believe (Autumn House Press, October 2025), pendulum between the speculative and the real, embodying how many people l...
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October 21, 2025 at 1:53 PM
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Today, Washington Unbound presents a review of Dorian Elizabeth Knapp's amazing book Causa Sui by @dctex.bsky.social.
www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
“Part of you wants to believe this poem was written by a human” — Washington Unbound
Using a wide array of emotional tones and an equally varied set of forms and styles, Knapp engages directly with many of the issues affecting our nation and our planet as a whole. By turns humorous, s...
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October 14, 2025 at 2:01 PM
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Gregory Luce, WU's poetry editor, reads on 11/2.
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October 13, 2025 at 11:48 PM
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Honored to announce that co-founder and poetry editor Gregory Luce has been nominated for a Pushcart by www.sligocreekpublishing.com .
Sligo Creek Publishing | Poetry & Stories | Washington DC
Discover powerful voices in poetry and storytelling at Sligo Creek Publishing, Washington DC. Explore books that ignite change, provoke thought, and illuminate the human experience with raw authentici...
www.sligocreekpublishing.com
October 11, 2025 at 11:50 PM
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Norah calls the Folger's Julius X a "bold experiment" that “invites audiences to reconsider both the familiar Roman tragedy and the legacy of America’s most polarizing civil rights leader." Read her excellent review on Washington Unbound.

www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Review of Al Letson's 'Julius X: A Reinvisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar' at the Folger — Washington Unbound
The Folger Theatre’s Julius X is a bold experiment: Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Julius Caesar is not adapted but rather reinvisioned and transformed into a new work that uses the motifs, themes, and some...
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October 7, 2025 at 3:23 PM
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Exciting new content on Washington Unbound today! Greg spoke with D.C. poet, performer, and educator Alexa Patrick. She'll be reading in the Folger Poetry series on October 21.
www.washington-unbound.com/interviews/a...
Interview with D.C. poet Alexa Patrick — Washington Unbound
Alexa Patrick's first book, Remedies for Diappearing, was published by Haymarket Books. She will be giving the O.B. Hardison Reading at the Folger Shakespeare Library on October 21. A poet, musician, ...
www.washington-unbound.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:49 PM
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Washington Unbound is especially excited today to present an interview with the co-presidents of Washington Writers' Publishing House, Caroline Bock and Jona Colson.
www.washington-unbound.com/interviews/c...
@norahvawter.bsky.social
Celebrating 50 years of works that feel urgent and necessary in this cultural moment — Washington Unbound
Did you know that the longest continually operating non-profit, cooperative literary organization exists right here in the DMV? Washington Writers’ Publishing House (WWPH) has been publishing poetry, ...
www.washington-unbound.com
September 23, 2025 at 2:59 PM
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Today, Washington Unbound is excited to present a review of what @norahvawter.bsky.social calls ”a fascinating piece of theater because of the way it weaves together the old and the new.” Read her thoughts on Shakespeare Theatre’s “Merry Wives.”

www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Review of 'Merry Wives' at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. — Washington Unbound
Merry Wives, playing through October 5 at the Shakespeare Theatre, is colorful, delightful, and teeming with joy from beginning to end. This reimagining of William Shakespeare’s comedy 'Merry Wives of...
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September 19, 2025 at 5:19 PM
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"Hannah Grieco’s debut book is a slim but powerful collection of short stories that are at times funny, at times devastating, and always full of heart, intensity, and life." Read our review in today's edition of Washington Unbound.
www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Review of DC area author Hannah Grieco's debut fiction book, 'First Kicking, Then Not' — Washington Unbound
Hannah Grieco’s debut book is a slim but powerful collection of short stories that are at times funny, at times devastating, and always full of heart, intensity, and life. The DC area author examines ...
www.washington-unbound.com
September 16, 2025 at 1:55 PM
washunbound.bsky.social
It's September, time for back-to-school specials. So check out Washington Unbound's round up of teacher-writers.

www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
@norahvawter.bsky.social
Back to school — Washington Unbound
With the school year now underway, we thought a feature on teacher-writers would be in order. Since we began publishing, Washington Unbound has featured a number of DMV writers who are also profession...
www.washington-unbound.com
September 9, 2025 at 2:43 PM
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Washington Unbound was one of the topics when Norah Vawter and I sat down with @Elizabeth Bruce Michael Oliver for their excellent podcast Creativists in Dialogue. Give a listen.

creativists.substack.com/p/a-creativi...

creativists.substack.com/p/a-creativi...
A Creativity & Difference Conversation with the Founders of Washington Unbound!, Gregory Luce and Norah Vawter
With Hosts Elizabeth Bruce and Michael Oliver
creativists.substack.com
September 3, 2025 at 4:42 PM
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New on Washington Unbound today, read Tom Navatril’s incisive interview with local novelist Edward Belfar, whose debut novel, A Very Innocent Man, offers a darkly comic take on the opioid crisis. @norahvawter.bsky.social

www.washington-unbound.com/interviews/e...
Interview with D.C. area novelist Edward Belfar — Washington Unbound
Edward Belfar’s debut novel casts a scathing spotlight on the destructive, short-sighted greed currently prevailing among so many of the powerful in our county. A Very Innocent Man focuses on those ...
www.washington-unbound.com
September 2, 2025 at 5:20 PM
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Today, Washington Unbound is especially pleased to present our review of Wetlands, the final book published by Clifford Bernier before his untimely passing, written beautifully by Naomi Thiers.

www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Poems of mystery and shape-shifting along the James River — Washington Unbound
From the get-go, Bernier pulls the rug out from under the reader (gently, but with koan-like force). In this poem, to know does not mean to understand; your gestures have resonance, but not meaning,...
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August 26, 2025 at 2:22 PM
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Today, Washington Unbound is pleased to present our review of A Brief Gazelle by Mike Maggio.
www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Love Is a Driving Force — Washington Unbound
Writer and literary activist Mike Maggio is a long-time fixture in the DMV literary community. In addition to his six poetry collections, he has published six novels and maintains a blog in which ...
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August 19, 2025 at 5:24 PM
washunbound.bsky.social
Today, Washington Unbound presents our end-of-summer reading list. Novels by some fine DMV writers plus a bonus poetry selection.
www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
A summer reading list for dark times — Washington Unbound
This has been a stressful summer to live through, politically speaking, and it doesn’t feel like the tension is going to break anytime soon. But life goes on, with these long summer days feeling norma...
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August 12, 2025 at 3:01 PM
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Today, Washington Unbound is proud to present an interview by @dctex.bsky.social with DMV writer and teacher Beth Konkoski.
www.washington-unbound.com/interviews/drawn-papered-and-taught
August 5, 2025 at 6:02 PM
washunbound.bsky.social
Washington Unbound is fresh today. Read our review by @gregory Luce Gregory Luce of "In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls," Majda Gama's fabulous new collection.

www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
Songs of yearning — Washington Unbound
Rarely has a collection of poems so perfectly embodied the experiences of the poet as does In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls, by Majda Gama. Gama, born in Beirut to a Saudi father and an A...
www.washington-unbound.com
July 29, 2025 at 6:35 PM
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Washington Unbound is proud to present our review of The Phillips Collection's powerful and important exhibition on Essex Hemphill.
www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
The Phillips Collection memorializes one of D.C.’s finest artists — Washington Unbound
Essex Hemphill was a force of nature. The multifaceted artist—poet, performer, visual artist, activist—is the subject of a powerful exhibition at the Phillips Collection, Essex Hemphill: Take Care of...
www.washington-unbound.com
July 23, 2025 at 9:23 PM
washunbound.bsky.social
New today, an exceptional interview by two exceptional writers and presenters. @norahvawter.bsky.social

www.washington-unbound.com/interviews/b...
Inside the Short Story Boudoir — Washington Unbound
Short Story Boudoir is a new short story review channel on YouTube hosted by Washingtonians Katy Gathright and Samantha Neugebauer. The channel’s title comes from the original meaning of boudoir – “...
www.washington-unbound.com
July 15, 2025 at 2:43 PM
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The amount of space, time and care @norahvawter.bsky.social’s urgently needed new publication @washunbound.bsky.social is devoting to arts criticism is stunning, and inspiring— this week’s review takes on @marthaannetoll.bsky.social’s Duet for One, out now: www.washington-unbound.com/bookreviews/...
A fresh perspective on classical music — Washington Unbound
Martha Anne Toll’s second novel, Duet for One , is a lovely, meditative, lyrical book that drew me in immediately. I want to say that this is a quiet novel, but it's about music and musicians, so tha...
www.washington-unbound.com
July 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM